I dare you not to cry: Volunteer for Bike First

March 30, 2010

Last year I had the pleasure of covering a Bike First camp for my column in the Oregonian. In the piece, I describe involuntarily bursting into tears after watching a young girl with austism take her first unassisted pedalstrokes. If you missed, you can catch it here – it’s a quick read.

I’m happy to announce that Bike First is back in 2010 with another of its phenomenal programs. These incredible camps are made possible by generous donations from sponsors, individuals, and volunteers – not to mention the support of the national “Lose the Training Wheels” and a whole army of super dedicated returning staff (also volunteers) who make up the Bike First family.

This year’s camp is scheduled for June 21 – 25th and they can use your help! (There’s also a one-day camp on June 26th where they’ll teach “typical” individuals to ride a bike in just one day. YES! Just one day. It’s amazing. They need help for this camp, too.)

HOW TO GET INVOLVED

Volunteer: Volunteers are the heart and soul of this program and, I assure you, what you receive in return will be far greater than you can imagine. Had I not already committed to covering Elite Nationals in Bend, Oregon during this timeframe, I guarantee I’d be spending this week with Bike First. Check out this page for more information on volunteer opportunities and requirements.

Donate (cash or goods!):

Bike First has to raise $15,000 to hold one clinic. Non-profit….tax deductible.

They also needs chips and drinks to feed about 100 people for their Friday night celebration

Toys, T-shirts, and other fun stuff to give to kids at the end of each day as their daily “award”. These daily “wins” are a critical part of keeping motivation up and positive energy high. Think you have something that might work? Contact Ann (annbikefirst@gmail.com) for more information. Here are some ideas for what would work (they need 45 of any item so each child receives the same prize).